Sacrifice led to hopes fulfilled

Bertolino family honors soldier’s legacy by living his dream

Susan Bertolino, center, with her children, from left, Tony, 23, Karina, 17, Jason, 15, and Daniel, 21, in front of their home in Murrieta on Monday. Army Staff Sgt. Stephen Bertolino, who was Susan's husband and the father her children, was killed in Iraq while deployed there in 2003.
Hayne Palmour IV

Susan Bertolino, center, with her children, from left, Tony, 23, Karina, 17, Jason, 15, and Daniel, 21, in front of their home in Murrieta on Monday. Army Staff Sgt. Stephen Bertolino, who was Susan's husband and the father her children, was killed in Iraq while deployed there in 2003.

A picture of Army Staff Sgt. Stephen Bertolino in Iraq.
/ Family photo

Army Staff Sgt. Stephen Bertolino used to talk about one day moving his family into a nice house with a garage, a chimney and a large backyard for his four children to play in.

The El Cajon native also wanted to see his kids pursue higher education.

Bertolino didn’t live to see those dreams play out. He was killed in an ambush in Iraq in 2003 at age 40.

Now, 10 years later, his family has not forgotten him or his sacrifice. And they are living proof that a soldier’s hopes can be realized, even after he has given up his life to serve the nation.

Bertolino’s widow, Susan Jensen, owns that home he wanted in a quiet and safe middle-class neighborhood in Southwest Riverside County. She said she bought it with the life insurance money she received after he was killed.

There are plenty of framed photos of Bertolino, from a portrait of his time with the Marine Corps reserves to shots of him playing with his then-young children.

Two of his sons, Stephen “Tony” Jr., 23, and Daniel, 21, are in college, aided by scholarships made available to them because of their father’s combat-related death.

Bertolino’s other two children, Karina, 17, and Jason, 15, are excelling at Vista Murrieta High School. Jason is a star goalkeeper who aspires to play soccer in college and perhaps even as a pro.

“I know it is real ironic that because of my dad passing we got a lot of support, and we have all those things,” said Tony, who married his wife, Daniela, in August and has a child on the way. “From that perspective, his sacrifice fulfilled all those things that he wanted for us.”

The family’s life changed the moment military officials showed up to deliver the bad news, as Tony and Daniel, then 13 and 12, hung Christmas lights in late November 2003. To that point, the family of six had moved frequently in typical military-family fashion.

Susan, who had been married to Bertolino for 17 years, relocated the family from Colorado back to Southern California. She chose to settle in Murrieta, because she had a brother living there and real-estate prices were more favorable.

A San Diego State graduate, Susan went back to school to earn a master’s degree in business administration, landed an internship and then a full-time job.

Tony said his mother worked tirelessly outside the home and held everybody together inside it, although her humble nature would prevent her from taking credit.

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Tony and Daniel said they were forced to grow up quickly and took it upon themselves to fill the void.

Karina, just 7 when her father was killed, struggled when her friends would bring up their fathers in everyday conversation. Memories of her father have melded with the many old home videos the family loves to watch.